Monica Denise Arnold (born October 24, 1980), professionally known as Monica, is an American R&B and pop singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Arnold was a member of Charles Thompson and the Majestics, a traveling 12-piece gospel choir prior to signing a solo recording contract with Arista Records in 1995. Guided by Rowdy head Dallas Austin, she came to prominence following her debut album Miss Thang, which produced four singles and made the youngest recording act to ever have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Following a major success with "The Boy Is Mine," a duet with singer Brandy, and a same-titled second album in 1998, a series of hit records established her position as one of the most successful of the new breed of urban R&B female vocalists to emerge in the mid-to late 1990s. Arnold's popularity was in decline between the early 2000s, during which time she dealt with more personal tribulations including the suicide of her boyfriend, a tumultuous relationship with former fiancé Corey "C-Murder" Miller and the delay of her heavily-bootlegged third album, All Eyez on Me. In 2003, Monica eventually released her fourth album After the Storm, and after an unsuccessful period, she scored her sixth number-one hit "So Gone." After giving birth to her first child, Rodney Ramone Hill III, in May 2005, and another short hiatus, Monica released her fourth studio album, The Makings of Me in October 2006.
While maintaining a recording career Arnold has also gained fame for appearing in several film and television productions, including supporting roles in big screen motion pictures Boys and Girls (2000) and ATL (2006) and a starring role in the MTV Films telefilm Love Song (2000).
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